We check in with people at each stage of the cash transfer process to see how things are going. Take a look at some of their stories as they appear here in real-time.
Learn more about how recipients opt in to share their stories.
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2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($496 USD)
access_time 3 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
Well after receiving this cash i have a chaLife difference
Business
House building
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
Give aid to the people
No
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
House
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($502 USD)
access_time over 3 years ago
attach_money
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was in the kitchen preparing breakfast for my family when I received an mpesa message. When I realized that GiveDirectly had sent me the transfer, I gave thanks to God. I knew that my dream of expanding my business through buying more stock would finally be realized.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Before receiving the transfers, my customers would at times go and purchase some items in other shops since I did not have most of the household items. This always made me feel bad due to high demand that I would not meet. It had always been my wish to expand this business but I had not been able to since the little profits I get was not enough as I would at times make KES 200 a day. I am glad since this is no longer the case as I was able to restock it using my transfers. Due to this, my work is to now serve my customers diligently as I also buy more goods using the profits I make.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I operate a kiosk business in the nearest shopping centres. I was still opening it and did not have most of the household provisions. Due to this, I usually feel bad and demotivated seeing my customers go to buy some items from other shops. When I received my transfer, I decided to spend KES 40000 to expand this business by buying more stock and adding some clothes for sell. I decided to include clothes as a way of diversifying the items I sell so that I can attract different types of customers and increase my income. Also, I spent KES 9000 to purchase three goats and used the remaining KES 5000 on clothes and some food for my family.
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means a boost to my shop business and eventually a higher profit. I started my shop with a capital of $400 but this has not given me the profit I desired because I even fail to meet all the demands of my customers. I plan to add $500 to the capital with the cash grant from GiveDirectly. This will mean more goods to my shop and hence meeting all the expectations of my customers in the area and this will earn me more profit. The remaining amount will help me to buy 10 goats at $30 each to start livestock keeping that will act as my long-term investment project. This will change my livelihood for the better, a transformation that I have wished for a long time.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Morning is the happiest part of my day when I wake up healthy with my family. Seeing my children jovial gives me the feeling of happiness. Unlike in the afternoon and evening hours when I get more tired due to the hard activities like household chores and even charcoal burning in some days.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Despite owning a shop business, I am still forced to engage in charcoal burning to get more capital for my business. This is because I feel so bad to see my customers miss what they want to buy from my shop. Considering this charcoal job being energy-intensive, I get so tired and also sometimes I am ashamed to be seen doing such kind of job. Hence, financial constraints remain to be the biggest hardship that I have ever faced in my life.
